One Worry At A Time
by AliasCWN
Summary: The Rat Patrol goes out on a mission while worrying about some problems at home.
1. Chapter 1

**One Worry At A Time**  
By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

The two soldiers opened the door of the local bar and prepared to enter. Their senses were immediately assaulted by the strong smell of sweat and stale beer. Despite its thick walls, the interior of the building was not the cool temperature that they had expected. All the bodies packed inside had raised the inside temperature to an uncomfortable level.

Tully made a face at the heat and the noise pouring out of the door. "So much for a cold drink and a comfortable, quiet room to drink it in."

Hitch laughed as he gave Tully a shove toward the door. "All the new guys on base must have found this place already. Maybe we can still get a cold beer."

Tully shrugged, not too sure that that was even a possibility. "They probably already sold all the cold ones. We'll be lucky to get one that's been anywhere near a cooler."

"One beer Tully, then we'll head back to the barracks." The blond grinned. "Unless you'd rather just go back now and forget the beer."

Tully gave the suggestion some consideration. Troy had given them permission to grab one beer before they returned to their rooms. With a new assignment in the morning, he wanted them rested and ready to go bright and early. Moffitt had hinted that this assignment might be longer than normal. Considering that possibility, Tully decided to risk the mass of bodies to fight his way to the bar.

Hitch smiled and followed in the path that Tully cleared to their goal. As their eyes met, they nodded at a few soldiers that they knew. Reaching the end of the bar, Tully greeted the bartender, who just happened to be the owner too.

"Evening Rennie, two beers please."

The little Frenchman returned the greeting, calling each of them by name. He reached under the bar and placed two bottles on the surface in front of them. Hitch placed their money on the bar as Tully checked the temperature of the beers.

"Warm."

"I'm sorry, that is all that I have. As you can see, we are very busy tonight." The Frenchman apologized. He waved away the money that Hitch offered him. "They are paid for already."

"By who?" Tully asked suspiciously.

"The first one's on me." A booming voice called out over the crowd.

Tully and Hitch turned to face the speaker, their beers untouched.

"And who are you?" Hitch asked.

"And what's the occasion?" Tully questioned.

"The name is Sonny Santos. Sergeant Sonny Santos." The burly soldier replied loudly. The smell of beer on his breath indicated that he had been in the bar for a while.

"That's the who." Tully drawled quietly, eying the three men who crowded behind Santos. "Now about the occasion."

"We're going to be great friends." The sergeant declared confidently. "My friend over there," Santos pointed at a soldier that Tully recognized from the motor pool, "says you guys work for a Sergeant Sam Troy."

"So?"

"So, I know Sam, we're old friends."

"Is that a fact?" Tully eased a step away from Hitch, both of them keeping their backs to the bar. "And how does that make us friends?"

"Any friend of Sam's is a friend of mine." Santos stated, reaching out to clap Tully on the shoulder. "Now about that beer, I'm buying the first one; you guys can buy the second round."

"We're only having one." Hitch answered. "We have duty tomorrow morning. Thanks anyway." He tossed his money on the bar while keeping an eye on the men behind Santos. "Maybe some other time if you're still around."

"Oh, I'll be here," Santos promised, "you see, I'm thinking of joining your outfit."

Hitch glanced over at Tully, startled by the news. "We don't have any openings."

"Don't you worry, I've got that covered." The burly sergeant assured them, swaying slightly.

"You know Hitch, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Let's get out of here." Hitch tried to push away from the bar but the three guys behind Santos crowded forward.

"You didn't drink your beer."

"It's kind of warm." Hitch responded.

"You didn't even touch it." Another of the three growled drunkenly.

"Tully says it's warm and I trust Tully." Hitch eased a step further away from Tully.

"Hey, you guys order a beer or get out of the way." A loud voice called from behind the knot of men standing in front of the bar.

"Shut up you!" Santos turned to yell at the speaker.

A small, wiry guy about thirty stepped toward Santos. "Who are you telling to shut up?"

"You, you little pip squeak!" Santos yelled back. "Can't you see we're having a conversation here?"

"Well talk somewhere else," the little guy retorted, "I came here to drink!"

With a curse Santos reached between Tully and Hitch and picked up one of the bottles by the neck. Swinging it viciously, he brought it down toward the smaller man's head. The wiry soldier ducked, causing the bottle to hit his shoulder and bounce off.

"Why you…."

And the fight was on.

Tully grabbed Hitch by the shoulder and shoved him toward the end of the bar. Hitch ducked a fist and shoved the fist's owner backwards.

Tully was slammed against the bar by a falling body. He gave the guy a push back into the fight and turned in time to catch a blow to the jaw. Hitch pulled the attacker away and aimed him at someone else.

Within seconds the fight had spread to the entire bar. Soldiers were taking pokes at everyone and anyone who came within reach.

Tully jerked on Hitch's arms to get his attention and jerked his head toward the bar. Hitch nodded and jumped easily to the bar's surface. Tully followed, avoiding a hand that reached to pull him back. Both privates dropped behind the wooden barrier and ducked as a chair flew over their heads to hit the wall behind them.

"Hey Rennie." Tully called to the owner. "Let us use your back door; we don't want any part of this."

The little Frenchman nodded his permission while scrambling to save as much of his wares as possible.

"Thanks."

Slipping through the storeroom, Tully and Hitch made their way to the door leading into the alley behind the bar. In front, they heard the repeated shrill ring of the whistles used by the MPs. The room would soon be swarming with security collecting all the fight's participants destined to spend the night packed into crowded cells. Tully winced at the thought of trying to sleep in a cell full of drunken soldiers with hangovers. Just the thought nearly turned his stomach.

"Good thing we got out of there." Hitch whispered as he heard the whistles. "Sarge would have been really mad if we got caught fighting."

"Yeah." Tully agreed, opening the door to the alley.

"Hold it right there! Now just where do you two think you're going?" The MPs holding the flashlights illuminated the faces of the two surprised privates. Two others stepped forward and grabbed them by the arms.

"Come on, back with your buddies. You can spend the night sleeping it off."

"We weren't involved." Hitch protested.

"Right." One of the MPs drawled while shining his light on Tully's bruised jaw. "Tell it to the duty officer in the morning. Now get moving!"


	2. Chapter 2

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Sam Troy answered the summons to headquarters the next morning striding angrily across the base. Upon waking he had attempted to wake Hitch and Tully, only to discover that their room was empty and their beds had not been slept in. With the summons to the Captain's office he was getting a bad feeling about their absence.

"If they got in trouble I'll have both their heads." He told Moffitt who was following quietly.

"We don't know what the captain wants." Moffitt pointed out as he rushed to keep pace.

"Those two were not in their room. We had an assignment. They should have been there. What else do you need?"

"We shall see, all I'm saying is, give them a chance to explain. You know them Troy; can you really picture them getting into trouble the night before an assignment?"

Troy paused in mid-stride, "All right, they can explain, but it had better be good."

Moffitt waited for Troy to turn away before he allowed his smile to show. The two sergeants arrived at the Captain's building and were immediately shown into the Captain's office.

"Good morning Sergeants, thank you for coming so quickly." The Captain greeted them pleasantly at their entrance. "Have a seat; we have a few things to discuss."

"Like what Sir?" Troy asked. "The mission?"

"Not exactly Sergeant." The Captain paused to walk around his desk and picked up some papers. "I'm sure by now you've heard about the fight at the bar last night." He looked up to see both sergeants nod in agreement. "Are you aware that both of your privates were among those rounded up at the scene?"

Troy's lips thinned in anger but he remained silent.

"I take it you weren't aware of their arrests?"

"No Sir." Troy admitted. "I checked their room this morning and I knew they were missing. I couldn't be sure where they were. I told them they could go for a beer Sir."

"So they said." The Captain admitted with a smile. "One beer, they said."

Troy nodded carefully, not sure what the Captain found amusing.

"According to them, they didn't even get that one." The Captain slapped the reports in his hand down on the desk. "The fight broke out before they had a chance to get a drink." The Captain seemed to notice Troy's expression for the first time. "Relax Troy, the owner of the bar collaborated their story. He said they did their best to stay out of the fight. They were caught trying to get out the back right after the fight started. The MPs just collected everybody they found."

"Then they aren't in trouble?" Moffitt asked quietly.

"No Sergeant, they're free to go."

"Where are they?" Troy asked, ready to spring his men and get moving.

"Outside in the hall, I had the MPs bring them over."

"I don't understand Sir." Troy admitted. "If you were just going to release them, why are we here?"

"There is another problem sergeant. Privates Hitchcock and Pettigrew brought it to my attention. It seems that they ran into a soldier who seems to know you."

"Did they get a name?"

"Sergeant Santos."

"Sonny Santos?" Troy asked incredulously.

"That's the one. What can you tell me about him?" The Captain leaned forward as he made the request. "I have a request on my desk from a Captain Garrett."

"What kind of request?"

"A transfer request. It seems that Captain Garrett would like to discuss transferring Sergeant Santos to this command. I was wondering why the Captain didn't go through regular channels to handle any transfer."

"I don't know Captain." Troy answered with a shake of his head. "I never heard of a Captain Garrett. Sergeant Sonny Santos, I do know. We were assigned to the same unit back before I left the States. Santos is quite a character Sir. He's very gung-ho, likes to take chances; doesn't have a lot of respect for authority. I haven't heard from him since I left the unit. I wasn't even aware that he was in North Africa."

"Did you like working with him?"

Troy hesitated, unsure how to answer the question. "The Sergeant and I have different styles. We don't always agree on the best way to get the job done. We did butt heads once or twice over methods."

"Understood Sergeant, thank you for your candor. You can pick up your men, I'll see you when you return from your assignment."

"Yes sir." Troy and Moffitt prepared to leave.

"Go easy on your men Sergeant. According to the bar owner, they really did try to stay out of trouble."

Troy nodded and headed for the door. Moffitt smiled as he followed Troy from the room. If he knew Troy, the privates had not heard the last of this yet.

The Captain shook his head as the two men stepped out into the hall. He didn't envy the two young soldiers having to face their sergeant. He could still remember the power his sergeant had had over him when he was a young private. Picking up the transfer request from his desk, he tossed it into a pile, remembering what Troy had told him about Sergeant Santos.

Calling for his aide, he waited for the corporal to poke his head in the door.

"Yes sir."

"Call Captain Garrett and ask him to come and see me. I would like to discuss this transfer he wants to make. Have him bring Sergeant Santos along. It might be a good idea for me to meet this guy in person."

"Right away sir."

The Captain was working on reports when his aide announced that Captain Garrett and Sergeant Santos were outside waiting to see him.

"Sent them in corporal."

Captain Garrett turned out to be a tall, athletic looking officer dressed in a crisply pressed uniform. Boggs wondered how he kept the creases so neat in the desert heat. His fellow officer executed an entrance just as crisp as his uniform. His handsome face looked stern but not overbearing. Bright eyes took in the cluttered desk with a frown of annoyance. Boggs immediately pegged him as an ambitious officer who held those below him to high standards.

The Sergeant who entered the room was not what Boggs had expected. Although he looked as though he had made an effort to clean himself up, the sergeant still showed signs of the previous night's activities. He was sporting a black eye, bruised knuckles, and the red eyes of a hangover. The salute the sergeant finally remembered to give was sloppy and late.

Captain Boggs returned the salute before offering Captain Garrett a chair.

"What can I do for you Captain?"

"You have the transfer request from Sergeant Santos?"

"Yes." Boggs admitted, laying the papers in question in the center of his desk.

"Sergeant Santos would like to join one of your units Captain." Captain Garrett explained with a flourish. "I can personally vouch for the sergeant's record. He's an excellent soldier who gets the most of his men. The sergeant is a real asset to the Army. A real go-getter."

"Then why are you willing to give him up? It's my understanding that your outfit is about to get moved up to the front. I would think that such an asset to the Army would be invaluable to a front line officer like you."

Captain Garrett dropped his head and cleared his throat. "The sergeant has asked to be transferred Captain."

"Personality differences?" Boggs wondered aloud.

"No." Captain Garrett denied in a rush. "It's just that he heard an old friend was stationed here, a Sergeant Sam Troy. Santos wants to rejoin his friend. He wants to join this Sergeant Troy's unit."

"Sergeant Troy heads a four man recon team. At present they don't have any openings."

"I understand that Captain. But it has been brought to my attention that Troy's second-in-command is a British sergeant on temporary loan. If you wanted, you could send him back to his own army and allow Sergeant Santos to take his place."

"I'm not sure that I have that authority Captain." Boggs answered with a frown.

"I've taken the liberty of mentioning it to command." Garrett informed him smugly. "I have some contacts in the Colonel's office."

"Really?"

"I thought it might help." Garrett smiled. "We don't need help from the British when we have men like Santos to do the job."

"I suppose that may be true. Am I going to have any say in this matter at all?"

"Of course, my sources say that the Colonel will be calling you to discuss the matter with you. I just wanted to give you a head's up, to give you a chance to check on the sergeant's record for yourself. As I said, I can give you my personal recommendation."

"I'm sure that that will go a long way. What does Sergeant Santos have to say about all of this?"

"I'm all for it Captain." The sergeant agreed eagerly. "You just ask Troy, he'll tell you how we used to work together. If I know Sam, he'll jump at the chance to get me on his team. I'll have it whipped into shape in no time. Excuse me Captain, but I met his two privates last night; I could get them to show a lot more respect if I were in charge."

Captain Boggs nodded at the comment. "They can be a bit hard to handle at times."

"Exactly Captain, no offense, but Troy can be a bit soft at times." The sergeant lowered his voice as if speaking in confidence. "He's a good sergeant, mind you, but he sometimes needs a bit of help."

"Thank you Sergeant. I'll let you know my decision once I've talked to the Colonel. The Rat Patrol is sort of his not so secret secret weapon. I'm sure he'll want to consider any changes to the team very carefully."

"I'm sure that the Colonel will make the right decision." Captain Garrett assured Captain Boggs. "And I'm sure your own recommendation will help him to make that decision."

"We'll discuss that when the Colonel calls." Captain Boggs smiled at his visitor.

"Then I guess we'll be going Captain. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice." The Captain rose to leave but turned back to look at Boggs. "Are you aware that Sergeant Troy's men were arrested in that fight last night?"

"Yes I am." Boggs admitted.

"Sergeant Santos tried to get them clear before the fight started but he was unsuccessful. Perhaps when he joins the unit he'll have better control over those two young men."

"Where is Troy Captain?" Santos interrupted. "I haven't seen him around all morning."

"The sergeant picked up his men and left on an assignment this morning. They may be gone for a while. They're chasing down some rumors about a new offensive the Germans are allegedly planning."

"You just let me know when they get back Captain. Sam and I have a lot of catching up to do." Santos stated brashly.

Captain Boggs sat down heavily after seeing his visitors out. "Corporal."

His aide poked his head through the door. "Sir?"

"Get me all the information you can on Sergeant Santos and that Captain Garrett, Captain Marvin Garrett."

"Yes sir."

"And Corporal."

"Yes sir?"

"Make it fast."


	3. Chapter 3

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Troy left Captain Boggs' office and stepped into the outer office. The Captain's aide, Corporal Townsend, looked up and nodded toward the hallway. "They're out there Sergeant."

Troy nodded and walked out without a word.

The MPs stood in the hallway, one on either side of the two privates.

"All ready Sergeant?" The MP sergeant asked Troy.

"Yeah, the Captain said they're free to go." Troy answered, nodding toward the privates.

"They're all yours." The sergeant nodded to his friend and the two MPs waked away leaving the two privates with Troy and Moffitt.

Hitch and Tully hung their heads, waiting for Troy to bring up their arrests. To their surprise, he merely jerked his head toward the outside and walked past them to lead the way.

Hitch glanced at Tully when Troy walked past without a word. Tully shrugged and shook his head before he turned to follow the sergeants. Hitch fell in behind, expecting Troy to chew them out once they were outside. The sergeant kept walking, setting a quick pace to the motor pool.

"Are the jeeps ready?"

When Troy finally spoke it wasn't what they had expected to hear. He didn't mention the fight or the MPs or their arrest. It was business as usual, getting the jeeps ready and heading out on the new assignment.

Troy took a seat in his jeep and gave Hitch the directions. They spent the rest of the day making their way across the desert. Their few stops consisted of servicing the jeeps and feeding themselves. Tully and Hitch waited all day for Troy to mention the previous night. He didn't.

Camp that night was a quiet affair. Troy discussed their plan for the next day with Moffitt while Tully heated their meals and Hitch stood watch. Troy relieved Hitch after he ate so the private could eat his meal. When Moffitt relieved Troy, Troy went straight to his blankets and turned in for the night.

"What do you think Tully?"

"Seems to me that Sarge is so mad that he doesn't even want to talk to us."

"But it wasn't our fault! The Captain told him we were innocent, didn't he?" Hitch's voice rose in their defense.

"Quiet. You wake Sarge and he'll really chew us out." Tully warned quietly. "We'd better get some rest. I don't know about you, but I didn't sleep too well last night."

"With all of those drunks tossing their cookies and snoring, it's a wonder anyone got any sleep at all." Hitch snorted in response. "Remind me never to get into another bar fight. That is one experience I'd rather not repeat."

"I guess its worse when you're sober." Tully suggested. "You never seemed to mind it before."

"Yeah," Hitch laughed. "Thanks for that reminder. It's been a while though."

The next morning found Tully on guard when the sun came up.

Troy was awake making coffee when Hitch crawled out of his blankets. Hitch started breakfast, moving quietly around the camp, avoiding drawing attention to himself. He kept looking toward the sergeant but Troy continued to ignore him.

"Sarge?"

Troy looked up to see Hitch standing above him with a plate in his hand. He reached out to take the food wordlessly, settling it into his lap.

"Sarge?"

Hitch was still standing above him, a worried frown on his face.

"Yeah what is it?"

"I wish you would just chew us out and get it over with. I know you're mad, but you're driving me crazy here!"

"It was a short drive."

"What?"

"Driving you crazy, it was a short drive." Troy explained with a crooked smile.

Hitch was too surprised to respond.

"I'm not mad Hitch." Troy sighed. "Something the Captain said has been bothering me and I've been trying to figure it out."

"What's that Sarge?"

"He asked about a Sergeant Santos. According to the Captain, Santos wants to transfer to the Captain's command."

"Not just his command Sarge." Hitch corrected. "He said he was going to join our outfit; your outfit to be more specific. Tully and I told him that we didn't have any openings, but he said he had it covered, whatever that means."

"He said he had it covered?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"He didn't say, but he seemed pretty confident. That's when Tully and I tried to walk out."

"He stopped you?"

"He tried, but some guy complained about us blocking the bar and Santos tried to hit him over the head with a beer bottle."

"That's when the fight started?"

"Yeah."

"Just like Santos." Troy shook his head. "Brag, intimidate, and start trouble. He hasn't changed a bit." The sergeant stared into his coffee thoughtfully. "I wonder what he means by having it covered."

"I don't know Sarge but he seemed determined. Sarge… are you going to let him join us?"

Troy looked up in surprise. "Like you said Hitch, we don't have an opening." Troy drained his cup and began to eat. "Finish up and get packed, we have a long way to go before dark."

"Right Sarge."

When Tully reached his jeep he looked at Hitch. The look he got in return just confused him more. Hitch seemed more relaxed but Troy was still quiet. He couldn't wait for a chance to get Hitch alone and find out what was going on.

His chance came at their first stop to cool the engines. Troy immediately pulled the maps out and spread them on a rock while talking to Moffitt.

"What's with Troy?"

"He's worried about that Santos guy. According to Sarge, the guy's a troublemaker and Sarge wants to know why he wants to join our outfit."

"Me too. Just why does he want to join us? Why not some other unit? I heard some of the guys in the cell talking; they said that Santos wants us to send Moffitt back to his old unit and let Santos take his place."

Hitch looked worried. "Captain Boggs wouldn't do that, would he?"

"I don't know," Tully admitted, looking toward the two sergeants. "Doc is only on loan to us, I guess he could."

"But Sarge doesn't want Santos, he likes Moffitt."

"Maybe Sarge won't have a choice." Tully warned softly.

"I guess our getting caught in that fight won't help matters any." Hitch finished refilling his gas tank and began to stow his spare can. He looked down, thinking hard. "Tully, what if we went to Captain Boggs and really talked Moffitt up? If we reminded him of all the times that Moffitt has pulled us out of a jam. Make sure that the Captain knows how important Moffitt is to this team."

"It might work." Tully answered thoughtfully. "We could talk to Sarge and run it past him." Tully finished his own maintenance and sat on the fender of his jeep. "But he might see right through it too."

"So what?" Hitch scoffed. "What's so wrong with our wanting to keep our team together? We work really well together. The brass needs to keep that in mind."

"We'll run it past Sarge." Tully promised, chewing on his matchstick.

"First we'd better tell him just how Santos plans on making an opening on our team." Hitch suggested soberly.


	4. Chapter 4

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

That night as the four of them set up their camp, Tully and Hitch approached Troy.

"Sarge." Hitch began hesitantly.

"Yeah, what now? I told you I wasn't mad." Troy looked up at his driver's worried face.

"Yeah, I know, but Tully heard something about Santos; about how he plans to get a place on this team."

Both sergeants turned to Tully curiously. "Okay, spill it Tully. What kind of scheme does he have planned?"

Tully bit down on his matchstick, biting it in two. Spitting it out, he began to repeat the conversation he had overheard in the cell.

"Do you know the guys who were talking?" Troy asked as he considered the information.

"Not by name. It was those three guys who were standing behind Santos at the bar when the fight started. He never got around to introducing them. They thought that I was asleep while they were talking." Tully grinned humorlessly. "They thought that he was nuts trying to get into this outfit. They figured he'd get himself or some of us killed before too long."

"Unfortunately, they're probably right." Troy answered. "At least now we know how he plans to make an opening. Now all we have to figure out is why,….and how to foil his plans."

Tully shrugged when Troy looked at him. "Don't look at me. They didn't say why he wanted to join us."

"Perhaps command would be agreeable to sending me back." Moffitt suggested quietly. "I am only on loan."

Troy spun angrily, his mouth open to argue. He held his tongue when he noticed the smile Moffitt was trying to hide. The Brit's dark eyes sparkled with amusement.

"And just what's so funny?" Troy asked, embarrassed by his reaction.

"You saw the way Captain Boggs acted when he asked about Santos. Unless I miss my guess, he wants Santos about as much as you do. Tully told me that it was Santos who started that fight."

"Maybe," Troy agreed, "but if I know Santos, and I do, he won't take any chances. He'll pull every string he can to get what he wants. It wouldn't surprise me if he went over the Captain's head."

"So what can we do?" Hitch asked uneasily.

"I don't see where there is much we can do Hitch." Moffitt replied with an encouraging smile.

"Moffitt's right, all we can do right now is continue to do our job and wait. If the Captain asks, we'll tell him how we feel." Troy explained.

"Tully and I were talking," Hitch began, "and we thought that we could talk to Captain Boggs and tell him how important Moffitt is to the team."

"Thank you Hitch, Tully, but I don't think that that will be necessary." Moffitt smiled kindly at the two privates. "The Captain reads all of our reports and he knows that our successes are not dependent on me. I'm only one small part of this team."

"But you're an important part!" Tully argued.

"We're all important." Moffitt stated.

"This is getting us nowhere." Troy interrupted impatiently. "We have a job to do, that's why we're out here. We can't let this distract us from what's important….not that this isn't important. Let's just deal with one crisis at a time. We'll finish this assignment and then deal with Santos. Agreed?"

Reluctantly the privates agreed as Moffitt nodded his support for the plan.

"Okay Doc, we agree, the most likely place for a new offensive to start would be west of here?" Troy dropped the subject and returned to the reason they were there.

"Yes, my guess would be some sort of attack ahead of that bad weather that is reportedly moving in. If Dietrich can make a rapid push into our territory ahead of the storm, his men can dig in before our side can get any reinforcements into position."

"Where would they gather the forces for a push like that?"

"There are only a few places where they could hide a large force from our planes. We could ask around in some of the villages and see if anyone noticed an increase in convoy traffic or a heavier German presence."

"Dietrich will have spies watching for anyone poking around or asking questions." Tully warned.

"That's why we'll go in as natives. You and Hitch can keep an eye on the jeeps and watch for any convoys trying to sneak past. Your light colored hair would make it hard for you to pass as Arabs."

"Could Santos go in and ask questions?"

"Hitch! Let it be. We agreed, we'd deal with that later." Troy growled at his driver.

Chastised, Hitch nodded and let the matter drop. "What if we find a hidden column or tanks?"

"Maybe we can delay them until the rains get here. Dietrich won't try to move heavy equipment once the rain starts. That should give our side time to prepare or even launch their o

wn offensive first."

"That's a mighty big maybe." Moffitt observed.

"Do you have a better idea?" Troy demanded.

"Not at the moment." Moffitt conceded.

"How far are we from those places you want to check?" Tully interrupted. "I've been watching the sky, and the weather is definitely changing."

"Tully's right," Moffitt agreed, "you can feel it in the air. The sooner we get moving the better."

"Then let's turn in and get an early start. We'll leave at first light and travel straight through. Moffitt, you can plot the route tonight and we'll have everything ready to go."

"Right Sam."

"My turn for first watch." Hitch called, reaching for his weapon.

Moffitt rose and went to study the maps, plotting the best route to their next destination.

"Sarge?"

"Yeah Tully?"

"Does Santos have the pull to get Moffitt sent back to his old unit?"

"Not alone Tully," Troy answered honestly, "but he may have some people he can con into putting the pressure on the Captain." The sergeant admitted, letting his worry show a little bit. "Never underestimate Santos; he's not above pulling something underhanded to get what he wants."

"Then we just have to be alert for anything, and maybe hide an ace or two up our sleeves." Tully drawled quietly. With a smug little smile, Tully stood to pull his blanket from his jeep. "Night Sarge."

"Good night Tully." Watching the lanky private roll up in his blanket, Troy wondered what kind of aces they could pull out of their sleeves. He was still awake and thinking about the problem two hours later when it was time to relieve his driver on watch.


	5. Chapter 5

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"There they are Troy, a large enough force to push us back to where we were before the last big push. If they attack before we can move more troops into position we'll lose this entire sector." Jack Moffitt peered through the field glasses at the build-up of German vehicles.

"They throw those huge camo nets over the whole works and the valley looks like it's filled with small dunes." Troy observed.

"Wouldn't fool anyone from the ground." Tully drawled.

"No," Troy lowered his glasses and slid off the rock he was lying on, "but we don't have any patrols this far out. Headquarters started pulling them back in preparation for the storms. They didn't want any of our troops stuck out here with no back-up and no way to get them any help."

"They sure have a lot of guards watching over them." Tully counted the guards circling the valley. Usually the Germans stationed their sentries pretty far apart, but for this detail, they were almost bumping into one another.

"Getting in there won't be easy." Moffitt had to agree with Tully, there were a lot of guards.

"We still don't know what Dietrich has planned." Looking at the valley full of German armored vehicles and seeing the number of guards on duty, Troy was reconsidering his options. "Let's move back and find a place to hide while we figure this out. We need come up with a plan before we do anything else."

"Sarge."

Troy turned to look back at the jeeps where his driver stood guard.

"Planes." Hitch pointed out over the desert in the direction of the known German base.

"Scout planes making sure that no one wanders into this sector." Moffitt guessed. "They'll be watching for patrols in or near this area."

Hitch was already yanking the camo nets over the jeeps. Tully took a quick look and was relieved to see that the breeze that had been blowing all day had already erased the tracks they had made on their arrival.

The three men joined Hitch, helping to cover the jeeps before the planes could spot them. Grabbing rifles, they crawled under the nets and waited. It wasn't long before they could hear the drone of the planes overhead.

The light, fast planes passed overhead at a high altitude, making their way toward the Allied lines. All four men held their breaths as one of the planes circled back and made a lower pass. Certain that the pilot had spotted something, they braced for the strafing they thought would follow. As the plane passed over their heads, Tully pushed to the edge of the netting to watch it. When he pulled his head back there was a grin on his face.

"The pilot is waving his wings at the guys in the valley. Leave it to some hotshot pilot to show off every chance he gets."

They listened as the plane climbed to rejoin the second one and the two planes continued on toward their destination.

"We're not waiting around for them to come back. Moffitt, find us a hole to crawl in that we can pull in after us. We'll have to make sure that we are invisible from the air." Troy crawled out from under the netting and started issuing orders. The planes were going to make it difficult for them to move around, and they didn't have a lot of time.

An hour later they had found a good hiding place and ducked the planes twice. Dietrich was using the two planes in his arsenal to keep up a constant search of the desert around his hidden force.

Tully and Hitch were both on guard as Troy outlined his plan to Moffitt.

"We wouldn't stand much chance going after the vehicles. Even if we could get to them, we'd never be able to do enough damage to stop them." Troy was staring at their maps, gauging distances and travel time. "The way I see it, the best way to stop that many vehicles is to blow up their fuel supplies."

"Dietrich will have more than one fuel depot Troy."

"I figured that. We just need to figure out where they are. It won't take a lot of explosives to take them out."

"Once we take the first one, he'll be waiting for us at the others." The British sergeant warned.

"It can't be helped…unless you have a better idea?" Troy waited but Moffitt didn't have any better suggestions. "All right, where would that cagey Kraut hide his fuel supplies? He wouldn't want them too far away."

"Someplace where he can get it here fast." Moffitt added. "Actually…. he may even have some hidden between here and our lines. That way he could resupply close to where they run out. He could move it before we knew about the assault and it would be safer that way."

"Yeah, that makes sense, but where?'

The two sergeants chose and discarded one site after another. They went back and forth on just how many fuel depots Dietrich might have hidden. At long last they agreed on what they considered the most likely numbers and locations. Then the hard part began, figuring out how to destroy as many as possible without getting caught or killed. It wasn't their number one priority but Troy considered it pretty high on his list.

Once the basic plans were made, they called the privates down from guard duty and began to fill them in. Then Troy took the first watch while the other three caught a nap.

By late afternoon the light breeze from earlier in the day had strengthened to a steady wind that had grounded the planes. With the planes no longer a threat, Troy moved the timetable ahead. The daylight driving would give them more time to accomplish their tasks.

They headed for the most likely site for fuel storage, a small, seldom occupied base the Germans had built the year before and then abandoned. Moffitt remembered some caves near the base that would do nicely to hide barrels of fuel. It would be invisible from the air and hard to spot from the ground. The only trouble was, it would be hard to approach undetected.

"Bingo."

The caves looked deserted. There were no fresh tracks coming or going, no vehicles in sight, and no troops camped at the base.

"They've gone to a lot of trouble to keep all of this secret."

Troy grinned at the British sergeant's comment. "They wasted a lot of effort."

"You would think that would have told their people to take their smoke breaks inside." The Brit responded with a smile. "Dietrich would be most displeased to note this lack of discipline. They had better hope that he never finds out."

"I won't tell him if you don't."

Moffitt chuckled at Troy's offer. "Now I suppose you want to go down there and teach them the error of their ways."

"Smoking can be hazardous to your health. The least we can do is go down there and point out the problems it can cause."

The British sergeant nodded agreeably.

"I'm sure our good Captain Dietrich would be more than happy to do the same for us if our roles were reversed."

"Quite right." Troy laughed, using his best British accent. Looking at his watch, he motioned Moffitt to follow him back to the jeeps.

"Hitch, we need some charges with timers. Four or five ought to do it."

"Right Sarge."

"Tully, keep an eye on that fuel depot. Moffitt and I need to plan our strategy very carefully here. I think that we may need to locate and destroy one or two more before we can report back to the Captain."

"Got it Sarge."

"Now Moffitt, how many Arabs are there running around in this sector?"


	6. Chapter 6

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Two Arab nomads made their way across the desert floor. The rise in wind strength was blowing the sand around them, making their passage difficult. They kept their robes pulled tightly to their bodies, clutching their light travel packs in front of them. The cloths around their faces hid all but their eyes.

The German sentries hidden inside the mouth of the cave watched their progress with an air of boredom. Guarding fuel barrels didn't involve much excitement and the Arabs were a fairly common sight. The guards watched the two men for a while before losing interest. When the Arabs showed no interest in the caves, the Germans returned to their interrupted conversation, dismissing the men as unimportant.

The Arabs continued to struggle against the wind. Reaching the hills above the caves, they made their way along the ridge above the valley.

"The caves are below us Troy. There is only one large cave, the others are small and have low ceilings." Moffitt stopped on the ridge above the caves and led Troy to a cut in the rocks. "As best I can recall, there is only one entrance into the large cave. The small caves don't connect to the large one. They may be using the small ones as barracks."

"They'll have a radio in there."

"In that case, they'll need to have some sort of antennae. Reception will be bad with all these rocks and hills."

"Let's find it. Dietrich will want to keep in touch."

"Troy."

Troy paused in his search at Moffitt's call. The British sergeant was staring at the rocks at his feet.

"What?"

"These rocks, look at the cracks along this ridge." The sergeant kneeled on the ground to point at several large cracks in the base of some of the rocks. "There is a fault line here that runs all along the ridge."

"So?"

"So." The other man replied excitedly, his eyes alight. "There may be a way to make this look like a natural event." The sergeant began to follow the fault line, crawling along the ridge on his knees.

Troy looked around carefully, making sure that they weren't being observed. He followed along as the British sergeant examined the ridge above the caves. A strong burst of wind blew him off balance, pushing him back from the edge. More cautious now, he watched his step, careful to stay away from the precipice. When he looked down all he could see was a steep drop that ended in front of the caves. Dropping to his knees, he peered over the rim, trying to locate the mouth of the largest cave. He finally spotted a rock formation that he had noticed earlier. The unusual formation was located only yards from the mouth of the cavern they suspected of holding the fuel barrels.

"The large cave entrance is directly below us."

"Right here?"

"Straight down." Troy confirmed. "Can you make it work?"

"I believe so. If we use some small charges, we might be able to loosen some of these large rocks. Once they start to slide they'll take a good part of this rock face with them." Moffitt was nodding his head encouragingly. "If we make the charges small enough, we may be able to get the job done without alerting the soldiers in the caves. The wind may cover the initial sounds and the slide will cover the rest. With luck, they'll blame it on the weather."

"Will Dietrich be able to dig it out again?"

"Perhaps, but not in time to do him any good." Moffitt decided after giving it some thought.

"To be safe, we can set a few charges further back on the cliff that will go off after the slide starts. Small charges would blend in enough with the slide and the wind. Even if the radio survives, they'll tell Dietrich it was a natural slide."

Troy nodded with satisfaction. "But he may still put the other fuel depots on alert."

"Will they be any more alert than if we blow this one sky high?"

"No," Troy agreed solemnly, "no, they won't." He stared out over the valley, watching the heavy swirls of sand blowing across the flats. The decision was his to make, would it fool the Germans? With a small laugh, he realized that Moffitt had it right; they could try to fool the Germans, but in the end, it wouldn't really matter. With a nod, he gave his permission to try; they had nothing to lose.

Moffitt quickly broke the charges they had brought into smaller bundles. Choosing his placements carefully, he showed Troy how to dig the dirt out of the cracks to insert the explosives. They gave themselves plenty of time to get clear before the detonations. Troy didn't want anyone to investigate the rockslide and find them in the area.

To avoid being seen, he had sent Hitch and Tully around the valley by a wide margin. If they had successfully arrived at their destination, they would be waiting behind the valley.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes." Moffitt nodded, double-checking the last of the charges. "It should work."

"Should?"

"There are no guarantees old man, but I'm fairly certain of my calculations."

"Then flick the switches and let's get out of here."

They set the timers and ran along the top of the ridge toward the foothills on the other side. Their pace was fast as the wind pushed them along from behind. Trusting the wind to keep the Germans hiding in the caves, they headed straight across the open spaces, choosing to take a few calculated chances to get away sooner.

Despite trusting his men to carry out their orders, he still felt an intense sense of relief when the jeeps were where they were supposed to be.

Tully and Hitch had parked them next to the largest boulder they could find and covered them with netting. The netting stretched from the rocks to the jeeps in an uneven line. The two had gone even further and gathered tumbleweeds and placed them in clumps around the netting.

"Very impressive." Surveying the efforts at hiding the vehicles, Moffitt was quick to offer his praise.

"You didn't wander too far in collecting the tumbleweeds, I hope." Troy commented, his reaction slightly more pragmatic.

"We didn't have to go far Sarge," Tully explained proudly, "they were all piled up in that arroyo over there. We just picked them up by the armloads and brought them over here."

"The hard part was getting them to stay in place in this wind." Hitch explained. "We had to hold everything down with rocks. Lucky for us there were a lot of them around here too."

"Okay, you did a good job. Did you spot any patrols on your way here?"

"No." Tully answered.

"I guess they don't want to attract attention to this area." Hitch suggested.

"Or they have all of their spare vehicles tied up in the build-up." Troy countered.

"Did you get the charges planted all right?" Hitch looked toward the valley where the depot was located. He wasn't surprised that he hadn't heard the explosions or seen the dust that would have resulted.

"Change of plans." Troy answered. "Moffitt came up with this idea to create a rockslide that might pass for a natural event. Dietrich won't be able to dig it out in time to use it on this offensive and he might not be expecting us at the next fuel dump."

"Might not?" Tully cocked his head at the wording.

"Might not." Troy admitted with a shrug.

"So when will we know?"

"I guess we'll find out when we get there." Troy headed for the jeeps. "Let's get under cover just in case. We need to go back and check out our handiwork in an hour or so if they don't send out any patrols. If all goes well, we'll start in the morning to find the other sites."

Without waiting for orders, Hitch grabbed a rifle and wiggled under the netting on top of the large rock. They would be ready if the Germans had not fallen for the ruse.


	7. Chapter 7

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 7

The next morning found them once again dodging German planes. After they had checked the cave and found it buried under a huge rockslide Troy had decided to rest for the night. They had managed to observe the caverns from a distance once the wind had died down. The desert had seemed eerily quiet after the fierce wind blowing all day. They watched as the Germans scurried around the site trying to assess the damage. Troy was satisfied that it would take them a long time to dig out the fuel, too late to use in the upcoming offensive.

The two sergeants had put their heads together and determined their next possible target. Not sure that the Germans had been fooled by their deception, Troy had balked at Moffitt's suggestion that they break into two groups to go after the other possible sites. Since they weren't sure that the fuel was at the sites, he argued that it would be reckless to split their forces.

Moffitt had tried to convince him that their chances were better if they hit both sites at the same time. He argued that they weren't likely to fool the German's a second time and a single strike would make a third one infinitely more dangerous.

It was the uncertainty of the actual locations that finally tipped the scales. Moffitt was forced to admit that they would still face a third attempt if they guessed wrong on either site. And, knowing that they were in the area, Dietrich would go all out to find them. Troy wanted both jeeps in case they ran into Dietrich's forces.

The wind had quit blowing but there was still a haze covering the sun. Moffitt kept glancing at the dust colored sky with a frown on his face.

During one of their infrequent stops to cool the engines Troy asked him about the odd color of the sky.

"There is a storm on the way Troy. Judging from the color of the sky, I think we are in for a bad one."

"How long do you think we have before it hits?"

"It's hard to tell, maybe a day, maybe less. Keep your eyes on the mountains; the sky is darker over them. The first indications will probably come from there. When it hits we'll need to find cover in a hurry, those storms travel fast. The mountains will slow it as it crosses but once it clears them it will pick up speed at an incredible rate."

Troy nodded, his eyes glued to the mountains in the distance. "Lead on Doctor, maybe we can beat it to the depots."

Troy and Moffitt kept their eyes on the sky. They alternated between watching for planes and casting worried glances at the mountains. The privates kept a look out for patrols as they pushed their jeeps ahead of the threatening skies.

Afternoon found them at their second possible fuel depot. Once again, Moffitt's instincts had been correct. This time Dietrich had set up a camp around the piles of barrels. To hide it from Allied eyes, his men had erected a tent over the barrels, disguising them as another barracks or mess tent. The four men watched as trucks dropped off more barrels to add to the already significant supply. Finished unloading, the trucks left the camp, headed to the base that Dietrich called home.

"There has to be over a hundred barrels in there."

"Enough to carry those armored vehicles halfway to our lines. We take this one out and we put a big hole in Dietrich's plans. It will take him a long time to replace it with his supply problems." Troy handed his glasses to Hitch while Moffitt passed his to Tully. "Take a good look; we need to find a way in before dark."

"We're not waiting for dark?" Surprised, Moffitt asked the question as they headed back toward the jeeps.

"We don't have time." Troy paused to explain. "That sky is getting darker all the time. We may not get the third one, but we need to get this one."

"Agreed, but how do you plan to reach it before dark?"

"I don't know yet." Troy admitted. "We'll have to come up with something. Maybe we could confiscate a patrol car and drive right up to the tent. A few grenades and we could be out of there."

"They'd spot us long before we got anywhere close Troy." Moffitt pointed out the fault in the plan. "We could never outrun them in a patrol car."

Troy bit his lip and stared off into space. "What if they saw two Germans driving up?"

"They'd check us out."

"We'll have to get papers when we grab the car. Look, I know it's a long shot, but we're running out of time here. That storm is coming; maybe we can use it to our advantage."

"Troy," Moffitt paused as he formulated a plan. "What would Dietrich's men do if they saw an American jeep watching their camp?"

"They'd send men after it."

Moffitt smiled.

"Okay, I see where you're going with this. I'll do you one better. We borrow a car and head for the camp, just two Germans returning to their base. We stay clear until someone spots the jeep, and then, like good little Germans, we join the chase. Now if we just happened to drive right past their fuel tent, it would seem like a perfectly normal thing to do."

"Normal Germans wouldn't throw hand grenades at their own fuel supplies." Moffitt pointed out with a smile. The gleam in his eye told Troy that he liked the idea.

"Okay, so we're not perfectly normal krauts. Do you have any other problems with it?"

"Yes," Moffitt nodded his head, "we still can't outrun them in a patrol car. Perhaps we could hide the second jeep close by where we could switch vehicles. There should be enough confusion to give us time to do that."

"See," Troy grinned, "I knew you'd like it. Let's go tell Hitch and Tully that we have a plan."

It seemed like hours before a patrol car wandered into their range. Tully was on watch when he spotted it approaching the camp from the direction of Dietrich's main base. Troy immediately ordered its capture, reminding everyone that they needed the car in working order. The soldier driving the car was surprised to see the jeep blocking the road in front of him when he came around the turn. He stopped and watched the jeep suspiciously. The fact that the hood was up and an American was bent over the fender working on the engine caused him to hesitate just a moment too long. Before he could decide on a course of action a second American jumped out from the slope above him. The second American pointed a machine gun at him and ordered him to surrender. He may still have attempted to escape if the second jeep hadn't suddenly roared up behind him, blocking his retreat. Realizing that he was outgunned and outnumbered, the German wisely surrendered. The other three soldiers with him followed his actions. They were quickly subdued and left under the guard of one of the privates. The sergeants gathered to the side to finalize their plan.

The Germans watched as the Americans approached them. They were surprised when one of the Allied soldiers spoke to them in German. They were even more surprised by what he said.

The four prisoners were told to remove their uniforms, leaving them standing in their boxers. They watched in confusion as the uniforms were folded and packed into one of the jeeps. They were then ordered to get into the patrol car and follow the first jeep while the second followed. Their confusion deepened as the jeep led them straight toward their fuel depot. Thinking that the Americans were unaware of the depots presence, they expected to be saved by their fellow Germans. Their spirits rose as they drew closer to the depot. Four miles from the depot their hopes were dashed.

The lead jeep left the road and climbed a hill to descend into a valley on the other side. Once there, the four prisoners were told to get out and walk away from the car. The privates once again stood guard.

"Okay," the American sergeant called, "let's shake it!"

To the surprise of the prisoners, one of the sergeants tossed them a canteen and two blankets from the car. Each blanket had been cut into two pieces. The German s examined the blanket pieces, their confusion clear on their faces.

"You have to walk back to your base." The British sergeant explained in German. "Wrap the blankets around you to protect yourself from the sun." When they were slow to react to the explanation he continued in warning. "There is a storm coming, I suggest that you don't waste any time."

Still wary, but hopeful, the Germans wrapped the blankets around their bodies and turned to begin their walk to the base. They walked slowly at first, as if expecting bullets to slam into their backs at any moment. The further they got the bolder they became until soon they were practically running.

"At that rate they'll get there before we do." Hitch warned, watching the Germans race toward their base.

"They won't be able to keep that pace up for long in this heat, especially without boots." Troy responded with a shrug. He handed Moffitt one of the German uniforms while he donned another. Ready, they climbed into the patrol car and waited for the privates.

"Drop the other jeep off out of sight. Don't worry about covering it; we won't have time to pull a cover. Tully, you drive, Hitch can man the 50. We'll stay out of sight until we see your signal. Wait until we're about a quarter mile from the base before you let them spot you. Lead them away but don't take any chances, stay out of their range. Give them a mile or two and then lose them."

"Got it Sarge." Tully responded. Starting his jeep, he waited for Hitch to get into the second jeep. They circled around the fuel depot and left the second jeep in a wadi that Moffitt had found on the map. Leaving it hidden deep in the wadi, Hitch climbed into the back of Tully's jeep and settled on the spare tire. With a nod that he was ready, the two privates located a spot where they could stay hidden while still able to see the sergeants as they approached the base. One brief flash of a mirror signaled the sergeants. Then all they could do was wait until the stolen patrol car was close enough to begin the next phase of the plan.

"Hey Tully," Hitch called urgently, "there are two patrol cars headed this way. They must have spotted our signal."

"How close?" Tully asked, shifting his matchstick to the other side of his mouth.

"Just leaving the depot."

Tully nodded, gauging the distance in his head. "Can you see Sarge and Moffitt yet?"

The blond started to shake his head no but then he hesitated. "Yeah, there they are, about a half mile out."

"Okay, we'll stay here until the patrol cars are almost on us and then we'll make a break for it. We'll let the guys on the base see us as we give these guys the slip. If we have to, maybe we can slow these guys long enough to give Sarge and Moffitt a shot."

Hitch returned to the jeep and cleared the 50, ready to attract the attention of the base. Tully eased the jeep to the end of the dune shielding them. They could hear the patrol cars getting closer. Tully tensed, trying to determine if the cars were going to split up to search the dunes. He figured that the sergeants had had enough time to get in position. He heard the patrol cars pause then continue on together.

Hitch, who had been listening too, gave a nod and a smile. Tully grinned and adjusted his goggles. Sure that Troy and Moffitt were close enough to the base, Tully hit the gas.

The jeep darted out from behind the dune in front of the startled Germans. Hitch opened fire with the 50 before they could react. The driver of the lead car ducked as bullets flew past his head.

As the jeep roared away, the German driver straightened in his seat. Believing that the Americans were running from them, he gave chase. Their heavier cars weren't as nimble as the small American jeep but he did his best to catch up. The faster jeep ducked around dunes while he had to slow to make the same turns. After several such evasive moves, the American driver made a mistake; he crossed an open space where he could be seen from the base.

The German driver smiled as he glanced back a few minutes later to see more vehicles leaving the base to join the chase. He and his fellow driver, the driver of the second patrol car, doggedly followed what he considered to be an increasingly desperate enemy. He called over his shoulder to warn the men in his back seat to be ready for when they cornered the enemy jeep. Feeling like a cat closing in on a mouse, he smiled and licked his lips in anticipation.


	8. Chapter 8

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 8

Sam Troy, sitting in the passenger seat of the stolen patrol car, heard the 50 open fire before he spotted the jeep. Startled, he shared a look with Moffitt.

"Something must have gone wrong." He yelled, lifting his hand to pull the pin on the grenade he held.

"The results are the same Troy. Look at all the vehicles getting ready to join the chase. If they leave camp we still have a chance."

Just then they spotted the jeep as it crossed as open space within sight of the base. The Germans spotted it too and they reacted exactly as predicted. Half a dozen vehicles, loaded with troops, hurried to give chase.

Troy smiled and lowered his hand, holding the grenade out of sight. His smile faded when he spotted the two patrol cars cross the same open space just behind the jeep.

"They know what they're doing." Moffitt assured him, drawing the car closer to the tent full of fuel. As he approached, he sped up, yelling in German about joining the chase after the jeep. Men dodged out of their way, continuing to watch the chase taking place. They ignored the patrol car as it sped through the camp.

Moffitt drove right pas the tent, getting as close as possible without drawing undue attention. He wheeled closer to the tent to avoid hitting a group of men in their path. Troy pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it among the barrels. Moffitt twisted the wheel away from the tent and did his best to get them clear before the explosion.

With a loud whoosh and a bang, the fuel exploded into a ball of flames. Those who survived were too stunned to raise the alarm as the patrol car dashed away.

Those far enough away to remain on their feet saw only a German car carrying two German soldiers joining the pursuit of the enemy jeep. Most were forced to duck for cover as the barrels of fuel continued to explode, throwing shrapnel everywhere. The entire base was thrown into chaos, uncertain of what was happening.

Troy and Moffitt drove after the pursuing vehicles until they were hidden from the view of the base. As soon as they were clear Moffitt headed for the jeep that Hitch and Tully had hidden.

Both men took a few precious minutes to shed the German uniforms, leaving them in the patrol car. Then, claiming their jeep, they set out to see if Tully and Hitch needed any help. As it turned out, the privates outran their pursuers before the second jeep could rejoin them. They paused long enough for Hitch and Moffitt to switch positions before they headed for their home base.

By now the wind had picked up again and the sky had darkened considerably. Troy was watching the approaching storm with increasing worry.

"It doesn't feel like rain Moffitt." He yelled across the space between the jeeps.

"Not rain." Moffitt yelled back. "A dust storm, a big one if I'm any judge; we need to find shelter and soon."

"How soon until it hits?"

"Hard to tell." Moffitt answered, his eyes on the cloud behind them. "Maybe a half hour, maybe less. Surely no more than that." His voice barely carried across the void between the jeeps. As he spoke, a gust of wind loosened the beret on his head, forcing him to make a grab for it.

"Find us shelter, the Germans won't follow us in this." Troy raised his voice so Moffitt could hear him. Leaving his position behind the gun, he took the seat next to his driver.

The British sergeant merely nodded and leaned down to talk to Tully. Tully glanced over his shoulder and nodded his understanding. His jeep jumped ahead, the wind whipping the dust of his passing away before it could blow into the faces of the men in the second vehicle. Hitch covered his lower face with a bandana and followed. Beside him, Troy ducked lower to use the dash as protection and pulled out a bandana of his own.

Tully finally pulled into shelter behind a rocky ridge that provided some protection from the wind. Moffitt jumped from the jeep and began pulling a tarp over the frame. Hitch parked close, allowing them room to shelter between the vehicles. While Tully and Moffitt fought to cover the jeep with a tarp, Troy and Hitch gathered rocks to help hold it down. They piled the rocks on all the corners and at intervals in between. Troy even tossed a few on top to keep it from lifting if the wind got underneath. Having done all they could, the four men huddled together between the vehicles to wait out the storm.

There was no talking over the roar of the wind. The sand whipped past them, filling the air and blocking the light from outside. They had survived sand storms before, sometimes sheltered in caves or buildings, sometimes huddled between their jeeps. This one seemed to go on forever. The temperature dropped, leaving them shivering with cold. They found themselves crowding closer for the shared warmth, nearly on top of each other. Moffitt shouted once, trying to tell them something, but even shouting in their ears, the words were scattered in the wind. Giving up, he pulled his jacket tighter around his head and prepared to wait some more.

It was Hitch who realized that the wind was not whipping under the jeep as much. He managed to convey the message to the others with hand motions. He wanted to lift the tarp to investigate but Moffitt stopped him, indicating the continued roar of the wind overhead. With a dejected sigh, Hitch shrugged deeper into his coat and listened to the sounds of the storm.

Hours later the wind noise finally died down and the space between the jeeps became eerily quiet. Having their ears assaulted by the screaming wind for hours, it took a while for them to adjust to the quiet. Their ears still rang from the continuous racket. Now the only sound they could hear was their own breathing. The sun had crossed the sky during the storm and now it was dark under the tarp.

Hitch, the closest to the rear of the jeep, pushed at the tarp that had protected them from the storm. "I don't remember these rocks being so heavy." He panted, pushing harder against the canvas barrier. He managed to lift the edge an inch or so, and was rewarded with a deluge of sand coming in. The more he pulled on the tarp, the more sand poured in. "Uh, Moffitt," his voice echoed in the confined space, "I think we may have a problem." Sliding his hand up along the inside of the tarp, he could feel the solid wall of sand pushing back. The sand seemed to go all the way to the top of the tarp.

Tully reached over and felt the solid wall of sand on the outside of the tarp. It was obvious that they wouldn't be getting out the same way that they had gotten in. "I'll check the front." A moment later, after crawling past the sergeants to check the front of the jeeps, he gave them the bad news. "The front is buried in sand too."

"Check the sides." Troy ordered, squeezing to the side to get out of their way.

Hitch crawled under his jeep and checked the side that had faced the wind. "I can't budge the tarp at all." His voice sounded muffled coming from under the vehicle.

Tully's cry of 'I think we can move this' was met with a round of relief.

They watched as Tully dug handfuls of sand out from under the tarp and pulled it toward him. Not satisfied with watching, Hitch crawled under the jeep and moved Tully's piles of sand further from their escape route. The two privates were panting hard before they could see any daylight.

"Take ten." Troy ordered after listening to their labored breathing. He pulled on first Hitch's legs, and then Tully's', urging the two privates to crawl out from under the vehicle. While the younger men rested, Troy and Moffitt took over.

"Pace yourself Troy, the sand may be cutting off our supply of oxygen. If we pass out, we die."

Troy nodded, his face already covered with beads of sweat. "I guess we don't have to post a guard right away, we're pretty well hidden." He smiled brightly and went back to digging.

Moffitt smiled at the comment and wondered, not for the first time, if the American sergeant ever gave up. He had a way of seeing the best in every situation and finding a solution to even the most frustrating problems. Saving his contemplations for another time, he reached for another handful of sand.

Hitch and Tully were offering to resume digging when troy felt the tarp flop. Emboldened, he scooped faster, panting from the exertion.

"Troy, slow down, the air is getting thin in here." Moffitt cautioned, reaching for his arm to calm him. He gripped his right arm and pulled it down, trying to get Troy to look at him and perhaps get a grip on his panic. As he pulled on Troy's right arm, Troy pulled on the tarp with his left hand. The sweet rush of fresh air swept across their heated faces. Moffitt released Troy's arm and crawled toward the cold rush of life giving oxygen. Behind him he could hear the younger 'rats' drawing in deep lungsful of the sweet air.

Troy used both hands to tug at the tarp. Moffitt crawled up next to him and helped him lift the heavy canvas. Sand still slid in but there was now an open space at the top that allowed them to breathe deeply for the first time in what seemed like hours. The two sergeants moved more sand, pushing it now rather that pulling it toward them. Little by little, they cleared enough space for Troy to wiggle out. The other three were right behind him, eager to escape their accidental prison.

Troy and Moffitt examined the jeeps, almost completely buried by drifts of sand. Only the tarp covered guns showed above the sand as it settled on the protected side of the rocky ridge. Even then, only a small part of the guns was visible.

Tully and Hitch climbed the ridge to look out over the desert. The terrain in front of them looked totally unfamiliar. The dunes they had passed earlier in the day were gone, the sand blown away to settle someplace else. New dunes had formed around different rock formations, creating an entirely new landscape. Not surprising, there was no trace of anyone or anything ever having crossed the desert floor for as far as the eye could see. Dust still hung in the air, making the fast approaching sunset hazy and dull. They turned away with a deeper respect for the desert and Nature's power.


	9. Chapter 9

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 9

"Tully, Hitch, help us clear the sand away from the jeeps." Troy called to the privates, interrupting their wonder at the view below them.

The two privates slid back down to the jeeps to aid the sergeants.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Moffitt smiled when he noted the looks on their faces.

"It's like a whole different world out there." Tully said in awe.

"As I once told you, 'the desert is like a lady, every morning she puts on a new face'."

"Doc, that's not a new face, that's a whole other woman." Hitch asserted, pointing a hand toward the new landscape.

"Not really Hitch." Moffitt disagreed with a cocked eyebrow. "The foundation is the same. Some of the features take millions of years to change. Others, like the sand and the dunes, can change continuously. Once you are familiar with the foundation, you can alter your perceptions of the rest. Consider it like the way a lady ages, her shape and looks change, but it's still the same woman underneath. The skeleton may change some over time but it is a much more gradual change and not nearly as dramatic.

"Maybe, but when my mother changes her hair style, it doesn't almost kill me." The blond conceded with a mischievous grin. He tried to pop a bubble with his gum but spit it out in disgust. "There's so much sand in that gum I think I sanded all the enamel off my teeth chewing it."

Moffitt laughed, amused by the younger man's antics but also because he was glad to be alive.

Together the four of them made headway in clearing the sand away from the jeeps. They concentrated on finding the shovels stored in the rear; once they had those the job went much faster. Troy put a man on watch as soon as they located the rifles.

Hitch moaned as he discovered a tear in the tarp on the side of his jeep. The hole had allowed sand to get beneath the tarp and fill the interior of the vehicle. The thought of cleaning it all out was depressing.

"I'll help you get it out." Tully offered when he saw the mess.

"Thanks Tully, we'll be half the day getting it out and making sure we have the sand out of everything. Hopefully it didn't reach the radio or the gun."

"Clean the 50 to be safe." Troy growled when he heard the comment.

"Yeah, I know Sarge. I just meant it would be easier to clean them if they weren't buried in sand." The blond was quick to explain. They all knew the importance of keeping the weapons clean.

Troy grunted in reply and continued digging the sand away from the jeeps. He wanted a clear path of escape if the Germans sent the planes over searching for them. The two younger men concentrated on getting the sand out of the vehicles so they could use them.

"Troy! Planes!" Moffitt was on watch and spotted the dots in the sky before they could hear them.

"Quick, throw the nets over the jeeps! Everyone under the nets!" The camo nets were thrown over the jeeps and everyone once again huddled between them for cover.

"Give me ground troops any day." Hitch muttered, crushed between the jeeps. "At least we don't have to cower under the nets and wait for them to strafe us. We can go out there and fight back."

"You want to go out there and fight the planes, be my guest." Troy growled tiredly. "We fight the battles we can win."

Hitch glanced over at the sergeant in surprise. The glare he got in return made him drop his eyes. Deciding not to push the sergeant, he returned his attention to the planes. The distinctive drone of the engines got louder and then passed over them without pausing. The four men waited in silence until they were sure that they were gone. Without a word Hitch pulled the net off of his jeep and went back to work.

Moffitt watched Troy with a thoughtful expression on his face. Tossing his rifle to Tully, he indicated that the younger 'rat' should stand guard. Reaching into his own jeep, he pulled their map case out and found a rock to spread them on well away from the privates.

"Troy! Could you look at this?"

Troy dropped his shovel into the rear of the jeep and flexed his tired shoulders. Glancing up to check on Tully, he noted that the private looked relaxed but alert. He avoided looking at his driver as he made his way to Moffitt.

"What is it?"

The British sergeant pointed at a circle he had made on his map. "If Dietrich planned an attack from here, and he had fuel depots here and here, this is his most likely route."

Troy studied the map and nodded his agreement. Everything Moffitt said made sense, but this was something they had already covered. He looked up at Moffitt expectantly, to find Moffitt watching him closely.

"Okay." Moffitt said, embarrassed at being caught studying his friend. "There are a few water holes that could be used as a base to store more fuel. The problem with that is, we know about them. That makes it tricky for Dietrich to hide it in any of those places."

"He could have it loaded on trucks so he can keep it moving."

"True, but the more he moves it, the better the chances that we'll spot it."

"So what are you thinking?"

"What if he buried it and only left a small force to keep an eye on it? This is British controlled territory. The Americans don't have any patrols in the area. Now I know that we share intel, but I'm sure that some things slide through the cracks."

"Like what exactly?" Troy asked. "What do you know that they haven't shared with us?"

Moffitt looked up at Troy's annoyed tone. "Nothing specific Sam, just stories and talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Arab movements. You know I spent time in this area as a child. I like to keep up on the activities of the local tribes, some of them are friends."

Troy relaxed as Moffitt continued his explanation. "All right, I know all that, so what did you hear that you think might affect this assignment?"

"I was talking to one of the British patrols while we were restocking at their base last week. They mentioned a new bunch of Arabs had set up a camp in the area but they weren't very friendly. I thought it best if we knew all we could about them so I asked some questions. Troy, there were several things that didn't fit with what I know of the local tribes. At the time, I just put it down to poor observation skills on the part of the patrol. But now,…I'm wondering if I overlooked something."

"You think the Germans are masquerading as Arabs while they guard the fuel?"

Moffitt relaxed, glad that Troy hadn't dismissed his suspicions without hearing him out. Nodding, he detailed his suspicions. "The camp is set up in an area that the local Arabs consider haunted. The ones I know wouldn't go within a mile of the place. I asked about the robes, thinking I could identify them by their clothing. They didn't fit into any tribe I could remember. The patrol I spoke with mentioned that there were no women or children yet the camp has all the appearances of being permanent." Prepared to go on, Moffitt stopped as Troy waved him off.

"I got it Moffitt. Map us a route, we'll check it out on our way home. You may have found Dietrich's next fuel stop. If we can get that one too, headquarters should be well satisfied."

Moffitt nodded, his eyes still dark with worry.

Troy started to turn but noticed his expression. "What?"

"Is something wrong Troy? You got pretty sharp with Hitch over nothing."

Troy exhaled sharply, letting his body sag. "Now's not the time Moffitt, we can worry about that later."

"Perhaps we can," The Brit acknowledged, "and maybe it's something we need to get out in the open before it causes more problems."

"Problems? What problems?" Troy looked genuinely surprised at Moffitt's suggestion.

"Hitch." The other sergeant explained in a softer tone. "He looked startled when you snapped at him. I've noticed that you've been avoiding each other ever since. This job is tough enough without tension between us making it worse. He's worried because he knows something is bothering you. Whatever it is Sam, you can talk to any of us, you know that."

"Yeah." Troy nodded with a heavy sigh. "I know. I told Hitch and Tully not to worry about Santos until after this mission was over but I'm having a hard time taking my own advice. I know Santos, and I know how sneaky he can be. He's going to give us trouble Jack, and that worries me. He says he has plans to take your place. I just wish I had some idea how he plans to do that so I could defend against it. I don't want to lose you Jack, and I don't want Santos under any conditions."

"Thank you for that but I have to ask, is worrying helping?"

Troy looked at Moffitt in surprise. With a short laugh he had to admit, "No, not really."

The other man smiled. "Then I suggest you try to forget Santos and concentrate on the job. We're a good team Sam, we work well together. We'll finish this job and then we'll concentrate on Santos. I'm willing to bet that no matter how well his schemes have worked in the past, Sergeant Santos has never been up against anyone like this team before."

Troy made a face and cocked his head as he smiled. Then he laughed. "You're right; Santos doesn't have any idea what he's up against this time."

"Shall we help Hitch finish up?'

"Yeah, and Jack," Troy waited for Moffitt to look up, "thanks."

Moffitt smiled and acknowledged the trust that Troy had in him.

Hitch was shoveling the last of the sand away from the side of his vehicle as the sergeants approached. The frown on his usually happy face had Troy feeling guilty. When Hitch looked up Troy opened his mouth to apologize but was stopped by the blonde's next words.

"Sarge, we have a problem."

Closing his eyes, Troy counted to ten before he asked his next question. This job already had enough problems, he didn't need any more. "What?"

Pulling the loosened tarp away from the side of the jeep, Hitch indicated the hole.

"I know about the hole." Troy stated, not understanding the new problem. "Moffitt and I will help you clean out the jeep."

"It's not that Sarge." The blond shook his head slowly. Looking down, he pointed at the side of the jeep. "The wind blew the sand through the hole like a natural sand blaster."

The sergeants walked around the end of the jeep as Hitch pointed at the side.

"The force of the sand hitting the exposed side blasted the paint off down to the base metal."

"All the paint?"

"Enough Sarge." The blond sighed. "If one of those planes flies over and the sun hits it right, she's going to shine like a beacon. That flash will be visible for miles from the air. Even if we cover her with a camo net, the sun hits that side and she'll glare through the net."

Troy examined the jeep. "We could stay close to Tully's side, letting him block the sun."

"Won't work Sarge." The blond argued, watching Troy closely. "Every time we hit a bump it exposes us to the sun. She'd still catch the eye of any pilot up there."

"Can we travel at night?"

"You want to travel at night?" Hitch asked cautiously, unsure of Troy's temper.

"No, not really." Troy glanced at Moffitt. "Moffitt may have located the next fuel depot. I want it." Looking up at the sky, he made his decision. "We'll just have to take our chances. Everyone keep your eyes open. Let's get done here and we'll head out."


	10. Chapter 10

**One Worry At A Time**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 10

Darkness found them hunting a place to hide the jeeps again. The camp Moffitt suspected was nearby and Troy wanted to approach it on foot. They had successfully avoided three more fly-overs by the German planes.

Troy smiled at the memory of the delighted look on his driver's face when he had solved their 'beacon' problem. Hitch had borrowed a can of axle grease from Tully and smeared it all over the exposed metal. The grease was black and did little to disguise the jeep in the sand. Troy had pointed that out but his driver had smiled and told him to wait. At the next stop, to cool the engines, Hitch had triumphantly pointed at the grease. Troy had laughed as he saw all the sand that had blown against the grease and stuck. The side of the jeep was now a perfect match in color to the sand they were driving through. The further they drove, the thicker the coating of sand became. There was no way that the sun could shine through that much sand.

Tully and Hitch stayed with the jeeps as Moffitt and Troy made their way toward the Arab village. The only other life forms they met up with were the four-legged variety. Several jackals watched their approach before slinking away. From a distance Moffitt watched the camp through binoculars.

"They have guards posted." The British sergeant reported after several minutes of watching. "Two guards, one on each end of the camp."

"So where do you figure they buried the fuel?" Troy asked casually, no longer doubting that they had found the fuel.

"Right under the village."

"We'll need the jeeps and the explosives." Troy said and Moffitt nodded. "I'll go back and get them. You keep your eyes on these guys and I'll be back."

Troy returned forty minutes later with the privates. They had driven slowly toward the village until the sergeant feared that the sounds of their engines would carry to the Germans. They had parked the jeeps and gathered explosives, wire spools and detonators. Breaking into two teams, they headed for opposite ends of the camp. Tully and Hitch stood guard while Troy and Moffitt dug the holes and planted the charges.

The guards weren't particularly alert, counting on their disguises to keep them safe. One of them stood up suddenly as Hitch and Troy tried to withdraw. Hitch ducked and pulled his knife, ready to take out the guard. the German walked away from his post, making his way cross the desert around the tents. Clear of the other guard's view, he pulled a pack of cigarettes and leaned against a rock to have a smoke. A match flared and the tip of his cigarette glowed briefly. Hitch and Troy held their positions as he puffed hastily, trying to finish his smoke before he was missed. The end glowed brightly then arced to the ground as he exhaled one final time and threw the butt on the ground. Grinding it into the sand, he grabbed his rifle and hurried back to his post. Once he had passed, while his back was still toward them, Troy and Hitch made their escape.

Troy finished attaching the wire to the detonator and whispered to Hitch to wait for him. Making a quick run, he met Moffitt headed his way. Checking their watches, they agreed to wait five minutes before pushing the plungers. In the meantime, the privates would return to the jeeps. At the sounds of the detonations they would race in to pick up the sergeants and meet up further out in the desert.

At the designated time, Troy and Moffitt pushed their individual plungers. The roar of the jeep engines was lost in the series of explosions that followed. The charges set off the first barrels and that set off a chain reaction that continued to light up the night sky long after the two jeeps had picked up their passengers and rushed out into the darkness.

From a safe distance, the four men watched the glow as the fuel burned.

"I'd say we got it." Troy grinned at his team in triumph. "Tomorrow we head home and file our reports. Let's find a place to camp; I could use a good night's sleep."

Late the next afternoon the two jeeps pulled into the base amid a flurry of activity. Avoiding the line of troops rolling off the base, they threaded their way to the motor pool.

"Get the jeeps serviced and restocked." Troy ordered as he climbed stiffly from his seat, "And see about getting that jeep repainted."

"Right Sarge."

With that, Troy and Moffitt headed for Captain Boggs' office. The office was a madhouse of activity with people rushing in all directions. They waited for nearly an hour to be called into the Captain's presence.

"How'd you make out Sergeant?" The Captain wasted no time in getting down to business.

"We didn't get the specifics of the offensive Captain, but we found their assault force." Troy crossed to the map and pointed to the spot on the map. He then proceeded to list the types and the number of vehicles assembled to launch the attack.

By the time he was done Captain Boggs was shaking his head in frustration. "We have a counter-force being assembled but if he attacks before we are in position, he could break through the forces already in place."

"We bought you a little time Sir." Troy assured him with a grin.

"How?"

"We managed to locate and destroy three of his fuel depots, here, here, and one here." Again the sergeant pointed at the map. "It's going to take him a while to replace all of that fuel. I figure that it's going to delay their start by at least a week. Can we get our defenses in position by then?"

Boggs smiled happily, his eyes shining with delight. "That is excellent news Sergeant. As you can see, we just got a lot of new troops and they are being moved into position as we speak. I want a full report, in writing, by tonight. Keep your team handy in case we need you. Dismissed."

Troy wanted to discuss the situation with Sergeant Santos but the Captain dismissed them and turned back to his desk. Then his aide rushed in with a hand full of papers. Deciding the discussion could wait, he and Moffitt headed for the motor pool to pick up the privates and find a hot meal.

When Troy dropped off his reports the Captain was in a meeting. He was forced to postpone his questions about Santos until the next day.

The privates were gone when Troy and Moffitt went to wake them for breakfast. They were halfway to the mess hall before the younger men joined them.

"Where have you two been?" Troy asked suspiciously.

"We had to talk to someone." Hitchcock responded defensively. "We resupplied the jeeps but there were a few things we couldn't get. We got ammo for the 50's but we couldn't get any for the small arms. The supply clerk said to check back later this afternoon, there's a supply convoy due in today. We got one can of gas each but he told us not to expect any more until at least the day after tomorrow. K-rations were low too."

"The new guys going out got most of the stuff." Tully added.

"Okay, we'll make due with what we have or borrow some from Dietrich if we get desperate."

Moffitt watched the two younger 'rats' hurry ahead of them, thus avoiding any more questions. He glanced over at Troy, wondering if he had noticed their actions, but Troy was lost in thoughts of his own.

Their meal was eaten in a crowded mess hall full of rowdy troops fresh to the base. Moffitt chose not to question Tully and Hitch in front of those strangers. His uniform drew a lot of curious stares but no one had the nerve, or poor manners, to ask why he was there.

The summons to the Captain's office came as they were leaving the mess hall.

"Did you get arrangements made to get the jeep repainted?" Troy asked Hitch after telling the messenger that he would be right there.

"We picked up a work order before we meet you. We'll drop it off at the motor pool." The blond answered with a nod.

"We'll meet you there after we talk to the Captain." Troy told them, waiting only long enough for Moffitt to join him. This time they were shown in right away.

"We have some unfinished business Sergeant." The Captain spoke up as soon as they had closed the door behind them.

"What's that Sir?" Troy asked even though he felt like he already knew.

"Sergeant Santos." The officer said with distaste. "I have a request here to have him transferred to your unit."

"We don't have any openings Captain." Troy responded with trepidation.

"Sergeant Santos would like me to create one by sending Sergeant Moffitt back to his British unit."

Troy threw Moffitt an 'I told you he was going to be trouble' look then waited for the Captain to continue.

"The sergeant has a personal recommendation from Captain Martin Garrett touting his good qualities and asking me to seriously consider the transfer. The Captain contacted the Colonel and made his recommendation to him personally. He also had some of his friends speak with the Colonel on the sergeant's behalf. The Colonel called me and mentioned that he had been getting a lot of pressure to fast track the transfer." The Captain paused to allow Troy to say something.

"I don't want to lose Moffitt…and I don't want Santos." Troy stated flatly, his stomach threatening to rebel against the idea. When the Captain nodded and reached for a paper on his desk, Troy's hopes fell.

"I took into consideration what you told me before you left. Captain Garrett and Sergeant Santos visited me right after you left. I also took into consideration what they had to say." The Captain hid a smile at Troy's stony expression.

"Captain, this unit would not be as successful as we are without Sergeant Moffitt's contributions. His knowledge and skills have made the difference on more than one occasion. We need him Captain."

The Captain dropped his head and rubbed his nose with his finger. "I am aware of that Sergeant. I have read your reports,..and Hitchcock and Pettigrew were in here earlier to point out any examples that I might have missed." The Captain actually smiled when he saw Troy's eyes narrow at the news. "I see that you weren't aware of their visit."

"No sir." Troy admitted.

"They were respectful Sergeant, but they made it clear how they felt about this transfer."

"I'm sorry Captain, I'll speak with them."

"No need Sergeant. Their loyalty is commendable." The Captain sighed. "As it turns out, I agree with them, at least on this."

"Sir?"

"Sergeant Santos won't be joining your team Sergeant. His reputation is highly overrated. In fact, it turns out, that Captain Garrett only recommended him to me in order to be rid of him himself. The Captain doesn't want him either. I sent all the information I gathered about the two of them to Colonel Wilson. Apparently it wasn't really necessary; Colonel Wilson never liked the idea anyway. We both feel that there is no reason to rock the boat and break up a winning team. You and your men can relax and take the next twenty-four hours off, a reward for another job well done."

"Thank you Captain." Troy said with heart-felt relief.

"My pleasure Sergeant, I look forward to telling Captain Garrett personally."

"Yes sir," Troy grinned mischievously. "I almost wish I could be there Captain. I think I'll go tell Hitch and Tully that they have the next twenty-four hours free."

They walked out, leaving the Captain smiling at their backs. Their first stop was the motor pool where they found Tully relaxing in some shade.

"Come on Tully." Troy called as they walked up next to him. "We're not getting Santos and we have the next twenty-four hours free to celebrate."

Tully grinned happily and jumped to his feet.

"Where's Hitch? We'll collect him and get going."

"Oh, he probably won't be able to join us." Tully responded with a wicked smile.

Troy frowned, puzzled. "Why not? What's he into now?"

"Well," Tully laughed, "you told him to make sure that he got the jeep repainted."

Troy nodded. "We may need it soon so it has to be ready. He said that he had the work orders signed."

"He did." Tully confirmed. "But when he gave the orders to the motor pool, they said they were short-handed. They agreed to do the painting but…they said that someone would have to clean off all the grease and sand before they would touch it."

Troy suddenly laughed. "That could take hours to get it clean enough to paint."

"He's out back working on it now." Tully informed them with another grin.

"And you're just going to let him do it all by himself?" '

"He smeared it on there all by himself." Tully reminded them.

"That he did." Troy laughed again. "Now let's go help him clean it off."

Tully tried to hold back a chuckle. "You're no fun Sarge." Grinning, he led the way to the rear of the motor pool where Hitch worked on the jeep.


End file.
